Toy railway



Feb. 5, 1924.,

v A. R. FEReussoN n482637 TOY RAILWAY Filed April 17. 1923 Feb.' 5 1924.,

. )1,482,637 A. R. Fr-:Reusom TOY RAILWAY Filed April 17. 192s 2 mee'tsasneet 2 @www ALAN R. FERGUSSON, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TOY RAILWAY.

Application led April 17, 1923. Serial No. 632,600.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALAN R. FnRGUssoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to toy or minature railways, an object of the invention being to provide an improved efficient and relatively cheap means for releasably connecting or joining `the adjacent or juxtaposed ends of a pair of wire rail track sections.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a toy or minature railway an improved means for forming a releasable dowel joint between the ends of a pair of wire or cylindrical rails.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a toy or minature railway a wire or cylindrical rail having an improved tubular or dowel receiving end for releasable connection with the dowel end of another rail, such as a wire or cylindrical rail.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wire or cylindrical rail for a toy railway having an improved dowel receiving end constructed to resiliently grip the dowel end of an adjacent rail so as to form a firm efficient joint and yet adapted to readily permit the release of the rail ends.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a toy or ininature railway an improved dowel joint for a pair of wire or cylindrical rails, the dowel joint being formed by means of a hollow o-r tubular member permanently interlocked with one rail end and adapted to be releasably interlocked with the other rail end.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a toy or minature railway a wire or cylindrical rail having an improved dowel receiving end, the -same comprising a bent up or coiled tubular member embracing a reduced or dowel end of the rail and having the juxtaposed edges thereof unconnected to form an expansible and contractible body. y

Other obj ects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views and wherein Fig. 1 is a plan' view illustrating a form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View partly in section illustrating the dowel joint; F ig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the cooperating ends of a pair of rails adapted to form the improved dowel joint; Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a pair of juxtaposed rail ends having a somewhat modified form of dowel joint; Fig. 5 is a detail view of a lrail end thereof; Fig. 6 is a top plan view illustrating a further modified form of my invention; Fig. 7 is a bottom plan View of a rail section illustrating this embodiment; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view illustrating a pair cf rails joined together; and Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a dowel receiving member.

Before explaining in detail the present improvement and mode of operation thereof, it is desired to have it understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construct-ion and arrangement of parts which are illustrated in the accompanying y drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments, and that the phraseology which is employed is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In the drawings the track sections which are adapted to be releasably joined together in accordance with my invention are preferably constructed of wire or cylindrical rails mounted upon wire formed across ties thereby forming wire track sections. In Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive it will be seen that one of the track sections comprises spaced wire or cylindrical rails 9 and 10 extending in parallel relation and mounted upon wire or cylindrical cross ties 11, the rails being preferably secured to the cross ties as bv spot welding. One of the wire rails l0 is provided at the end thereof with a reduced or dowel end 12, this dowel being formed in any suitable manner.

The companion wire rail 9 of this track section is also provided at its end with a reduced or dowel end 13. A hollow or tubular member 14 which may be formed by bending up or ceiling a piece of sheet metal with the edges thereof juxtaposed and preferably unconnected to form an endwise extending slot 15, is placed over or slipped on to the dowel end 13 of the rail 9. l't will be understood that the hollow or tubular member 14 is of sufcient diameter to snugly embrace the dowel end 13 and the metal of this member is of suicient thickness to corlll) respond to the depth of the shoulder 13a formed by the reduced end 13. -At the shoulder 13a the abutting end 16 of the member 14 may be welded to the rail 9 thereby securely holding the same in position. The dowel receiving member or open tube forrule 14 projects a suitable distance beyond the end of the dowel 13, and since the curved side walls thereof are separated by means of the slot 15, this member will form an expansible and contractible body having spring gripping walls.

The adjacent track section which is to be joined to the rails 9 and 10 is preferably constructed in substantially the same manner as hereinbefore described and comprises a pair of spaced parallel wire or cylindrical rails 18 and 19 secured as by spot welding to wire cross ties 20. The rail 18 is provided with a dowel end 21, and the rail 19 is provided with a tubular or dowel receiving end 22 preferably of substantially the same construction as the member 14. The tubular member 22 in like manner has a lengthwise extending slot 23, thus forming a gripping portion adapted to receive the dowel end 12. In construction the interior diameter of the tube or ferrule 14 will preferably be a few thousandths of an inch less than the diameter of the dowel 21, and in like manner the interior diameter of the tube or ferrule 22 will be a fraction less than the diameter of the dowel end 12. Thus when the two track sections are joined together by inserting the `dowels in the dowel receiving members, the dowels will expand somewhat the open tubes 14` and 22, and the resilient Walls thereof will grip the dowels and firmly maintain the ends of the rails in joined position.

In the somewhat modified construction illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 the wire rail is also provided with an open tube or ferrule member which may be interlocked with the rail. In this instance the wire or cylindrical rail 24 is provided with a reduced or dowel end 25 forming a shoulder 26, the dowel having an upstanding lug or projection 27 formed therefrom in any suitable manner. The ferrule or tubular member 28 at one edge thereof is provided with a square notch 30 and is bent up or coiled to embrace the dowel 25, the ferrule or tube being locked on this dowel by means of the lug 27 extending into the notch or recess 30. As in the previously described construction4 the ferrule 28 is preferably formed of butted tubing with an open lengthwise extending seam or slot 29. The wire rail 33 which is to be joined to the rail 24 is provided witha dowel end 32 which is tapered toward its end, and when this dowel is inserted into the tubular end 31 it will spring open or expand the same thereby forming an efficient friction or gripping joint. `.Vhenthe dowel 32'is removed the spring walls of the tubular member 28 will contract again to their normal position.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive the juxtaposed track sections which are to be releasably joined together in like manner each comprises spaced parallel wire or cylindrical rails and 45a mounted upon and secured as by spot welding to wire or cylindrical cross ties 47. Each of the wire rails 45 and 45a of a section is provided at one end with a dowel receiving member and at the other end with a dowel, both rails preferably constructed in substantially the same manner. As shown particularly in Fig. 8 the wire rails -45 and 45a to be joined together are provided with juxtaposed dowel or reduced end portions 46 and 51 respectively, and lugs or projections 47et and 52 are pinched out or otherwise formed from the dowels 46 and 51 in any suitable manner. A ferrule or tubular member 48 is bent up or coiled so as to embrace the dowel end 46 and is provided with a notch or recess adapted to receive the lug 47a. By means of the lug and notchthe ferrule or tube 48 is locked in position on the dowel end 46 since thelug 47L will impinge against the square corner 50 which prevents the ferrule from pulling olf the end of the rail 45a. It will be noted that the tubular member 48 is an open tube having the lengthwise extending juxtaposed edges thereof unconnected and forming an endwise extending slot 49 provided with a pair of spaced recesses or notches 54 and 55 for receiving lugs 52 and 47a. The ferrule 48 extends beyond the end of the dowel 45 and is adapted to receive the dowel end 51 of the rail 45. At its entrance the slot 49 is tapered or flared outwardly at 53a so as to permit the lug 52 to enter the slot 49 upon inserting the dowel 51 into the ferrule. Since the lug 52 is thicker than the width of the slot 49 it will spread apart or expand the end walls of the ferrule, which will again contract or close into normal position when the lug 52 becomes seated in a notch or recess 54 in the ferrule. W'ith the rails joined together as shown in Fig. 8 and the lug 52 seated in the notch 54 it will be seen that the spring walls of the ferrule will normally tend to resist the removal of the dowel from the ferrule, but upon pulling the rails apart the lug 52 will engage the tapered or sloping wall 53 and spread the walls apart suliiciently to permit the lug 52 to pass through the slot 49 thereby releasing the dowel end 51. From this construction it will be seen that each of the rails 45 and 45L of a section are first formed with interchangeable dowel ends having lugs or projections. Since all of the dowel ends are identical in construction thereby facilitating and economizing the manufacture of the sections, the ferrule or tube 48 may be placed over and interlocked awith `either dowel end of each rail, thel rails beingy positioned and secured to the wire tiesxso'v that the dowel ends and the dowel receiving portions of the two railsiwill be. located atopposed ends of the sections asclearlyshown in Figs. 6 and 7.

It is to be understood that by describing in detail herein-any particular form, structure, or arrangement,"` .it :isiv not cintended; 4to limit the invention beyond" theterrnsfl of the several claims or vthe :requirements i-of f the prior art.

Having thus explained the* inatureof` imy said invention and described a waywofconstructing and using the same, although without attempting toI setforth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all the modes of its use, I claim:

1. In a toy railway a wire rail having a resilient tubular end.

2. In a toy railway a wire nail terminating in a resilient gripping portion.

3. In a toy railway a wire rail terminating in a tubular gripping portion.

4. In a toy railway a wire rail terminating in a slotted tubular end.

5. In a toy railway a wire rail `terminating in a tubular dowel receiving end.

6. In a toy railway a cylindrical rail terminating in a dowel receiving end having resilient walls.

7. In a toy railway a solid metal rail ter-` gripping portions.

8. In a toy railway, a metal rail having a dowel receiving end terminating in a pair of oppositely located expansible and contractible gripping portions.

9. In a toy railway a cylindrical rail terminating in a tubular member of the same diameter secured thereto, and adapted to be releasably joined to an adjacent rail end.

10. In a toy railway a cylindrical rail having a tubular member secured to the end thereof, said member having a lengthwise extending slot.

11. In a toy railway a wire rail having a dowel receiving portion comprising a piece of met-al bent-up or coiled with the edges thereof juxtaposed.

12. In a toy railway a wire rail having a dowel receiving end portion comprising a piece of metal bent-up or coiled with the juxtaposed edges thereof unconnected.

13.In a toy railway a cylindrical rail having a dowel receiving end portion comprising a piece of metal bent up or coiled to form a resilient gripping portion.

14. In a toy railway, a solid metal rail having a hollow dowel receiving member connected to the end thereof.

l5. In a toy railway, a metal rail terminating in a tubular` dowel receiving member of the saine diameter secured at the end thereof and adapted Vto iba-releasably `j oined to'an adjacent-rail.

16. In a toy railwayi awireirail having a reduced-:end portion, and a dowel receivingxportion connected tosaid end portion.

`17. Ina toyl railway a wire rail having a reduced end portion, and a dowel receiving member:comprising apiece of metal bent; to' embrace said reduced end` portion.

. 18..'In4a'toy`railway a wire rail havinga reduced ends-and artubular member having an interlocking connectionwith said end.

19. In'artoy railway afwire rail having a reduced' end fandf a tubular member having anfiinterloclring connection with saidv end, said connection comprising a lug and a recess.

20. In a toy railway a wire rail having a reduced end portion provided with a projecting lug, and a dowel receiving member carried by said reduced end and having a recess for reeciving said lug.

2l. In a toy railway the combination of a pair of wire rails, one thereof having a resilient tubular end, and the other having a dowel adapted to releasably extend thereinto- 22. In a toy railway the combination of a pair of wire rails, one thereof having a gripping portion for receiving the end of the other wire rail.

23. In a toy railway the combination of a pair of metal rails having reduced ends, a dowel receiving member permanently connected to one of said ends and adapted to be detachably connected to the other end.

24. In a toy railway the combination of a pair of wire rails terminating each in a dowel, a tubular member embracing one of said dowels and adapted to releasably receive the other dowel.

25. In a toy railway the combination of a pair of wire rails, one of said rails having a tubular end and the other having a dowel adapted to extend thereinto, said dowel having a diameter greater than the interior diameter of said tubular end.

26. In a toy railway the combination of a pair of wire rails adapted to be located end to end, a tubular member permanently interloclred with one rail end anl adapted to bedreleasably interlocked with t e other rail en 27. In a toy railway the combination of a pair of Wire rails adapted to be located end to end, a tubular member permanently interlocked with one rail end and adapted to be releasably interlocked with the other rail end, said tubular member and rail end having cooperating lugs and recesses.

28. In a toy railway a pair of wire rails having each a dowel end provided with a projecting lug, and a tubular member embracing a dowel end and having a locking recess for the lug thereof, said tubular mem- I (l il lli) ber extending beyond said dowel and having a slot with a recess for releasably receiving the lu of the other rail.

29. toy railway section comprising a pair of spaced wire rails, each of said rails having a dowel at one end, and a dowel re ceiving portion at the opposite end.

30. A toy railway section comprising a pair of spaced wire rails, said rails at each end of the section having one a dowel end and the other a dowel receiving'end, and one thereof projecting beyond the other.

31. In a toy railway the combination of wire ties, and wire rails connected thereto,

4 one thereof having a tubular dowel receiving end.

32. In a toy railway the combination of Wireties, and wire rails connected thereto,V one thereof having a resilient tubular dowel receiving end.

33. In a toy railway the combination of a air of wire rails, one thereof having a dowel end, and the other a dowel receiving potion for releasably receiving said dowel en 34:. In a toy railway the combination of a pair of sections including each wire ties and wirerails connected thereto, and means at thejuxtaposed ends of said rails for forming a releasable dowel joint.

Signed at Buffalo, N. Y., this 12th day of April, 1923.

ALAN R. FERGUSSON. 

